Keep You Safe and Keep You Warm
by ThatRandomFandomGirl
Summary: James Sirius Potter met Samantha Handling when he knocked into her on the Hogwarts Express. This is the beginning of a new adventure with James and Sam. Watch as they grow up and become thick as thieves. Although, Samantha is totally against stealing. SEMI-HIATUS UNTIL THE BEGINNING/MIDDLE OF JUNE
1. Ouch! Look, a New Friend!

_Hey guys, here's my new story! This is Samantha, a muggle-born girl, who becomes really good friends with James Sirius. I hope you enjoy it! Reviews and PMs are always welcome! I hope to update it at least once a week. Maybe twice! If it's twice, then probably Mondays and Thursdays._

I walked down the corridor on the train, passing different compartments as I went farther. I was born to Muggles, so I didn't really know anyone in the wizarding world. I had heard stories of Hogwarts, and the Second Wizarding War, but besides that, not much else.

I had always been a kind child, helping people whenever I could. However, that meant people had tried to take advantage of me and I have been told I'm too trusting. I'm not helpless though, my father has called me spunky on more than one occasion.

I tried to find an empty compartment, but I crashed into someone as I was looking into one.

"Merlin's beard! I'm so sorry!" A boy's voice cried out as I fell over. "Are you alright?" I looked up and saw bright brown eyes, a messy mop of black hair and a faint sprinkling of freckles on his nose looking down at me. "I'm James, by the way. Again, really sorry."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." He grabbed my arm and helped me up. "And I'm Samantha Handling."

Do you have a compartment?" He smiled, his eyes glinting. James was about a head and a half taller than me, and I was of average height.

"Uh, no."

"You wanna come ride with me? I'm sure there'll be room."

"Really, I wouldn't want to intrude." I blushed slightly.

"No, it's fine. C'mon, I already knocked into you, the least I can do is befriend you!" He walked into another car and I followed behind him. We stopped at a compartment that had 2 people already in it, sitting squished together. "Hey. Teddy, Vic, this is Samantha." The boy had bright blue hair and the girl was a pretty blonde.

"Uh, hi." I waved shyly.

"Sam doesn't have anywhere to sit, so she's going to sit with us." He sat down across from them and gestured to the bench he was sitting on. I sat, leaving a good distance between us.

"Uh, Samantha is fine. Really."

"Hi Sam" The boy held out his hand. "I'm Teddy Lupin. Hufflepuff, 7th year, Head Boy" I shook it, smiling.

"Victoire Weasley. I'm in Ravenclaw, in my 6th year."

"Really, Lupin and Weasley?" I glanced at James. "How'd you manage that?"

"James didn't tell you?"

"Vic, stop it." James glared at her.

"James is a Potter."

"Thanks Vic." He mumbled and stared at his shoes.

"You're a Potter?" I stared at him in awe.

"Yes. My dad is Harry Potter. Now please, let's stop talking about it." He shot a glare at Victoire and turned to me. "So Sam, tell us about you!" He grinned.

"Oh, well….I was born to Muggles, my father's sitting on a ton of money, so they….don't really do much." I shrugged. "I dunno. I'm pretty boring."

"Nonsense, I think you're interesting!" James grinned again. "Whaddya like to do?"

"Well, I like to read, cook, play with my dog and cat. And I like to draw." I started to smile, warming up to the three.

"You have a cat? Did you bring it with you?" James asked excitedly.

"Oh no, I thought I wasn't allowed to have a cat yet. Isn't that next year?"

"She's right James, not until next year." Teddy smiled softly at me. "I hate to break up this little meet and greet, but we should change, we'll be there soon." He stood up.

I looked out the window and saw it darkening. "Time flies quite quickly, when you're talking to people!" I laughed and stood to get changed.

 ** _KYS/KYW_**

I was looking in the mirror, trying to straighten out my hair. It had always been an unruly dark copper, curling around my face, and never stayed unless I tied it back. My face had a huge spattering of freckles, going down to my shoulders, and red cheeks. The only part of my face that wasn't along the lines of red or brown coloring were my eyes. They were actually two different colors. One was a dark gray and the other was a sapphire-y blue.

I was having a bit of trouble tying my tie. I decided to walk out of the bathroom and give it a few minutes, when I ran into Teddy. His eyes mirrored mine, then changed back to brown.

"How are you doing that?" I looked at him in wonder.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus, Sam." He kneeled down and started to tie my tie for me. "Hey, stay by James, alright? I'll look out for him, as will Vic, but he needs someone his age too."

"Well, doesn't he have friends?" I was puzzled by this. Wouldn't the son of a war hero have loads of friends?

"Yeah, but they're all just as reckless as James is. You seem more down-to-earth. He needs someone like that. Trust me, he likes you." Teddy stood up. "There ya go. And I bet you're either gonna be in my house, or Vic's. You seem sweet….but I wouldn't discount your brains either." He turned and walked back towards our compartment. "C'mon Samantha, you'll miss the view."

I followed behind Teddy and saw a huge castle in the distance. The windows were blazing with light and I felt a strange feeling come over me. This...was Hogwarts


	2. Friends and Sortings

_Hey guys! Here's a new chapter of KYS/KYW! I changed the canon slightly, because I wanted Crissa to have her parents known by the readers! So...y'all should be pleasantly surprised! Also, there's a poll on my profile to decide where Crissa and Dexter will go! So please vote! I spent a lot of time on this one. The song was not easy to write! I really cannot write the next chapter until you guys vote!_

James and I stepped out of the train and a swarm of children our age came and surrounded him, but he kept me near his side. I grinned brightly on the inside. I had a sneaking suspicion that about half of these kids were just James's friends because he was the son of the famous Harry Potter. But I thought James was interesting in his own right.

"Sam, are you coming?" James turned towards me. There was a short and stout bleached blond boy next to him, with thick blue framed glasses, and a even smaller girl with dark brown hair in braided pigtails.

"Yes, I'm coming sorry!" I walked towards them and nodded towards the new boy and girl. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Samantha."

"I'm Crissa and this is Dexter." The little girl looked up at me and I realized her eyes were black. No color, just black. But they were a warm black, and reflected the stars in the sky. She had a noticable Scottish accent. "Pleasure." The boy nodded back at me.

"Crissa and Dexter are two of my good friends. Although, their older siblings are in Vic's year, and they live pretty far, so I Floo them a lot." James explained as we walked.

"Floo?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah!" James exclaimed. "I forgot you're muggle-born. Basically, it's a magical fire and all you have to do is stick your head in and say their address." Then he stopped, staring at my horrified expression. "Oh Sam, it doesn't hurt, really!"

"If you say so, then sure, James." I shrugged and he continued walking. "So Crissa, what's your family like?"

"Oh! Well, my mother was a half-blood and my father was a pure-blood. So I'm a halfblood. Crissa Macmillan. My father was in James's father's year and my mother was a year older than him. She was in Ravenclaw and my dad was a Hufflepuff!" Crissa grinned. "Dexter is Neville Longbottom's son! He's sweet, but he's really shy." She laughed. "We live closer to each other than James does to either of us."

"That's cool, I guess I'm the only one of us not born to magical parents."

"Aw, it's fine. We'll still love you!"

"So, what house do you want to be in?"

"Well, I really don't care, but Dexter doesn't want to be in Slytherin. And….James and I don't think he'd be a good Slytherin anyway. He's too timid." She whispered that last part to me.

"I'm not timid, Criss." Dexter spoke up. "Merlin, I'm just quiet." He shook his head. "I'm sorry Samantha, I take a while to warm up to people. Meanwhile, Crissa and James make friends very quickly." Then he grinned. "She grows on you though, eh?"

"Yes. Criss definitely grows on you." James laughed. "Now come on, we're almost at the boats!" He sped up and ran away from us.

"James, that's not fair!" Crissa, Dexter and I ran after him. We stopped at the dock, and Dexter seemed to be the only one not fazed by the sight.

"Wow, that's absolutely beautiful." I sighed, staring at the lights reflecting off of the lake.

"It's even cooler inside." Dexter smiled. "My dad teaches here, so I've been around here a lot. You have to watch the stairs, though."

"The stairs?"

"They move."

"The stairs. Move?" My eyes widened. I got the feeling they would a lot.

"Yeah, they do. Now, let's go get in a boat! I don't want us to get separated." James pulled us down to the boats.

"Alright, alright James. We're coming." The three of us followed the raven-haired boy down the stairs to the boats. We found one that was empty and piled in just as they started setting out.

"So, are you guys excited?" Crissa grinned.

"Yes, I suppose I am. I think, because I was just looking at the history and what the houses are, that Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would fit me, but you never really know, right?"

"Exactly!" James nodded. "I hope I'm gonna be in Gryffindor. My dad and his parents were all Gryffindors and so were my mom and her brothers and her parents!"

"James, I'm sure if you aren't in Gryffindor, your parents wouldn't blame you." I reassured him. "You're great. They'd be crazy not to be proud of you, no matter what."

"Thanks Sam. I appreciate it."

"It's no problem! I'm sure we'll stick together no matter what house we're all in?"

"Of course we'll be friends! Why wouldn't we? Even if you guys get in Slytherin, I'll still say hi to you!" Crissa laughed, then she saw Dexter's face. "Oh Dex, I was only joking! You don't have to worry."

"Thanks Criss." He shook his head. "Always there with the hilarity."

"I try Dexter, I try!" She laughed. I watched the castle grow larger as we drew nearer while Crissa, Dexter and James talked about some Quidditch teams. The view was absolutely beautiful. It was definitely going to be a place I enjoyed living for the next 7 years.

 _ **KYS/KYW**_

We walked into the school, everyone in their groups again, loudly chatting. As soon as we all came to the staircase a tall man appeared at the top of it. Dexter stiffened for a moment. I turned to Crissa to ask why.

She leaned over and whispered. "That's Professor Longbottom, Dexter's father. He's a little nervous about his dad disapproving of where he gets sorted. Dex really wishes he could've gone to Beauxbatons, but his father insisted."

I nodded and turned back to the man. "First years, I am Professor Longbottom and welcome to Hogwarts! I will lead you into the Great Hall, where you will all be sorted and then we will eat! I know that you're all excited for both the food and the sorting, so let's go!" He started walking towards the large doors behind him and everyone scurried to follow him, not wanting to be last. James, Crissa, Dexter and I were pushed to the front, with Dexter right behind his father.

When we walked into the hall, my jaw had dropped. It was one of the greatest architectural feats ever! The ceilings were so high they seemed to be in the clouds.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Dexter nudged me.

"Yes, it really is." I beamed as I knocked into James's back. We had stopped in front of a stool with an old and worn hat on it. Then the hat perked up and started to sing.

 _I know I'm old_  
 _I know I'm worn_  
 _But in these ancient folds_  
 _I know where to put you, so you won't be forlorn_

 _I am a Sorting Hat, you know_  
 _The only of my kind!_  
 _So I challenge you to show_  
 _Another of my mind_

 _For you new ones_  
 _I'll explain where_  
 _You'll have an idea of fun_  
 _The four houses should be fair_

 _Hufflepuffs are just and true_  
 _They're also very loyal_  
 _They'll never turn their back on you_  
 _And rarely ever spoiled_

 _The clever Ravenclaws, you'll see_  
 _They're inquisitive and curious_  
 _Never from a question they'll flee_  
 _But I think that'll you find they're not always serious_

 _Our savior was a Gryffindor, no one will forget_  
 _But others were Gryffindors, bravery abound_  
 _These people are always strong and very well met_  
 _From a foe they will always stand their ground_

 _Finally our Slytherins who get a bad rep_  
 _They are cunning, yes it's true_  
 _But they plan out their steps_  
 _And you will always know if they're plans fall through_

 _I hope this song clears things up_  
 _I hope in me you trust_  
 _Because there is no backup_  
 _For my decision I cannot adjust._

It stopped and Professor Longbottom pulled out a list, which was incredibly long and started to read from it. "Jennifer Abberley." A tall and thin girl with short brown hair walked up to the hat and sat down. The hat was placed on her head and after a few moments, the hat spoke.

"RAVENCLAW!" The girl beamed and jumped down from the chair, walking over to a table with students in blue ties.

"Harry Ancrum."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Oliva Bexley."

"RAVENCLAW"

"Amelia Birch."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Andrew Brooks."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Richard Caxton."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

It went on like this for a few minutes, until I heard, "Samantha Handling." and Crissa nudged me up. I walked towards the hat nervously, staring at my shoes. When I sat down, the hat was placed on my head.

" _Well well, what do we have here? Not much known about Hogwarts, do we dearie?"_ I heard the hat speaking in my head. _"Love of books, does well in school, admiring the architecture on the way in, were we? Ravenclaw, perhaps. But….you're already loyal to your friends you met just hours ago. You seem to trust them. Loyalty, trust, intelligence, creativity. Oh you_ are _a hard one, aren't you? But I know where to put you."_ I waited, not daring to breath as the sorting hat made its decision. "HUFFLEPUFF!" I jumped down as soon as the hat was taken off my head, and saw Teddy waving, his hair still a bright turquoise. I ran down to him.

"Nice Handling. I knew it'd be us. Pleased to have you here." He grinned and patted me on the back. "There'll be more of you, I know." I sat down and watched the others being sorted. I wondered where my friends would be, but I didn't worry.

 **A/N:** _Don't forget to vote on Dexter and Crissa's houses! I gotta have your guys' feedback, can't write the chapter without you!_


	3. Feastings and Hufflepuffs

_Here's chapter three! I apologize as it is a little late, I was sooo busy this weekend. Friday was all-day doctor appointments, Saturday I had a recital and Sunday was homework and cleaning! So I really only had today, Monday and Thursday to work!_

There were already about 5 other Hufflepuffs that had been sorted before me. One was a girl who was tall and thin, with coiling dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. "Gwendolyn Finnigan-Thomas. Nice to meet you!"

I grinned as I shook her hand. "Samantha Handling, and same to you."

"I see you were hanging around James Potter." She smirked. "Is he nice? I heard he was nice."

"I would say so, yes. You've never met him?"

"My fathers talk about his father all the time, they were in his year." She laughed.

"That's cool. I was just born to Muggles, so this is all a completely new experience."

"I know. I was told this was a beautiful building, but words don't really do it justice." She nodded her head back up to the Sorting Hat. "Let's watch."

There were a few more Hufflepuffs, one a boy named Connor Hyland, who came to sat on my other side.

"Dexter Longbottom." The corners of Professor Longbottom's twitched up into a faint smile. Dexter walked slowly up, and I could see his hesitation. I could understand why he was nervous. He could follow in his father's footsteps, and be a Gryffindor, or he could be in one of the other houses.

Dex sat down, chewing on his bottom lip. His father placed the Hat on Dexter's head and everyone waited with bated breath. "Hmmm." This was the first time the Hat had made a noise out loud, other than announcing the Houses and singing its song. "Very interesting." The drawing out of Dexter's sorting was making everyone nervous, Professor Longbottom included. "Yes. Yes. SLYTHERIN!"

The entire hall was silent. It was at least half a minute before the Slytherins erupted in cheers. Dexter plodded over to the table, head down. His father's eyes were wide with shock. Professor Longbottom shook his head and called the next name. "Crissa Macmillan."

Criss bounded up to the seat, head held high. She sat down on the stool, beaming. The hat was placed on her head and after a few moments, it cried out. "RAVENCLAW!" Crissa jumped down as soon as the hat was taken off her head and bounded towards the other Ravenclaws.

After about 12 or 13 more people, I heard, "James Potter." He walked to the seat steadily after his name was called, not missing a step. He sat facing the students, a blank look on his face, though his eyes betrayed his anxiety. I caught his eye and smiled reassuringly. That seemed to calm him slightly and his shoulders relaxed.

The hat had barely been on his head when the Sorting Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" I saw James let out a sigh of relief as he walked towards the Gryffindors, and I could already see people who seemed to have vaguely similar features as him. I guessed they must be his cousins or such.

The Sorting finished soon after that and an older woman came to the podium. Connor leaned over to me. "That's Headmistress McGonagall. She's one of the most amazing witches ever." I watched the woman in rapt attention. She had an air of regality and wisdom.

"Good evening students." McGonagall spoke in slightly warbling voice. "It is my great pleasure to welcome the previous students back and the new students for the first time. As long as you follow the rules, we shall all get along fine. Now, I am sure all of you are waiting for the feast so I shall not keep you any longer." She raised her arms and food appeared on the tables.

There was everything imaginable on the tables. I grabbed some of all three types of potatoes and some lamb chops. "So, Samantha-" Connor spoke, his words slightly obscured by the food in his mouth. "Where're you from?"

"Liverpool. It's where The Beatles are from, y'know." I took a bite of the mashed potatoes. They were smooth, without any lumps, and buttery.

"That's really cool! Isn't that guy who plays the latest James Bond from around there too?" Gwen joined in the conversation.

"Yeah, he is. But he's from Chester." I shrugged. "So, what about you guys?"

"Oh, well, I'm from around Manchester and Connor is too! We're actually neighbors. But, we never thought we'd be in the same house!" Gwen grinned.

"Exactly, but we're glad we are. And we'll teach you the ropes in the Wizarding World." Connor grinned as well.

"Best friends!" Gwen nodded.

"Do you two do this a lot? Talking in sync?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yes, we do."

"I have to ask you, did you guys hear the Sorting Hat talk in your head? About maybe putting you in a different house?" I shifted slightly.

"Well, not me. But I'm sure that-" Connor started.

"I heard him considering Gryffindor for a moment or two." Gwen finished. She was quite excitable.

"Oh that's nice." I nodded along. "Ravenclaw. I like to read, the architecture here is wonderful."

"Ravenclaw is a good house, my cousin got in that one." Connor returned to his food, shoveling it in his mouth.

"Nice." I turned back to my food. I was very hungry from the long train ride and the conversation seemed to have died down. Gwen and Connor still talked lightly over me, but I didn't really care that much.

"First years!" Teddy stood and shouted down the table. "Please follow me, we're going to go down to the dorms now. Please stay together! I would prefer you don't get lost."

All of the newly sorted Hufflepuffs followed him, most huddled together in small groups. My small group was Connor, Gwen and me. We all walked out of the Hall, Teddy talking warmly and reassuringly. "So, I'm so glad you've all joined us. Some people believe that we're the weakest or dumbest house, but let me remind you that one of the witches that laid down her life, Nymphadora Lupin, was a Hufflepuff, as was Cedric Diggory."

After heading down a few flights of stairs, which, as Dexter had said, moved, we walked down a corridor that branched three ways. Sadly, we did not go down the hall that smelled as wonderful as the second one did. We also didn't go down the corridor that seemed dank.

The tunnel we followed ended at a pile of barrels on their sides. Teddy turned around and drew his wand. "You all need to watch carefully. Tap the second barrel from the bottom, in the middle of the second row. It will only open if you tap the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' on it. If you do not tap the correct barrel, or in the wrong rhythm, you will be doused in vinegar." He turned back around and tapped the aforementioned barrel in the rhythm he had described. It opened and Teddy crawled through. He turned and spoke through the hole.

"Well, come on! It'll close up and I don't trust you all enough. Yet." After he spoke, I sighed and pushed forwards gently. I crawled through the barrel and heard Connor and Gwen following. As I got through, Teddy grabbed my arms and helped me down. I brushed myself off, then looked around. The room was low and round. It was decorated in yellows and blacks, like a bunch of bees. There were plants everywhere: cactii, ferns, flowers and vines. Through the low set windows, you could see the moon shining through and even though it was night time, it felt very sunny.

"Alright, it's late. All you lot to bed." Teddy called as soon as all of us had gotten through the tunnel. "Girls, the larger tunnel to the left. Boys, larger tunnel to the right. Your dorm rooms assignments will be on the doors."

Gwen grabbed my hand and pulled me down the tunnel, giggling. "Come on Sam, I hope we're in the same room." We raced down it together and when we came to the line of doors, scanned them all quickly.

"Here, Gwen!" It was the third door on the right side. There was my name, Gwen's, Rachel Blank, Jessica Smith and Hyacinth Karume.

"Oh, I know Rachel, she's quite sweet."

"Well, let's hope. I'm sure everyone here is very nice."

"Just watch out for those Slytherins. I mean, Dexter may be okay, and there's that cute one. I think his name was Jackson, but I'm not so sure." The other girls came up behind us. Rachel seemed quite shy, she had long platinum blonde hair, grey-blue eyes and she was very thin and small. Jessica was medium height, not very noticeable if you weren't looking. And Hyacinth had Eastern features.

"Well, let's go, I'm tired." I pushed the door open. The beds were covered in patchwork quilts and when I took my shoes off, the floor was nice and warm. Our trunks were piled at the side of the door, so we could all choose a bed, without having them pre-chosen. I sat on the bed nearest to the window and pulled my trunk over.

"Crowley, this has been such a long day." Gwen yawned, sitting on the bed next to me.

"Good thing we can all go to bed now." Gwen's yawning had caused me to yawn as well. I walked into the bathroom and changed into my pajamas. I got into the soft bed, glancing out the window before I pulled the covers up. "Good night guys."

"Good night." The other four said in almost unison.

 _Again, really sorry! There's another poll for which Potter child should get the Invisibility Cloak! James already has the Map, so keep that in mind! I'm personally rooting for Lily, but I wanted your guys's opinions!_


	4. Author's Note

Hey guys, it's Maddie! I'm just finishing up the year and it's really hectic! I started KYS/KYW and I promise to work on it as soon as the school year ends! I love you guys so much, don't doubt it! I have about 11 or 12 days until the last day of school, then surgery on the 6th of June. I expect to be lucid by the 12th! Then I will update more. I have plenty of ideas and 7 school years to work with it for these guys

I'll be laid up all summer long, so I will have plenty of time to brainstorm ideas for stuff happening. If you guys have any suggestions, send them in! And if you have feedback, send that it too! I love hearing from you guys!

Maybe if I have time, I'll post little things for my children!

Love, ThatRandomFandomGirl


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